Overview

On the night of 24 April 1974, at five minutes to eleven, a Lisbon radio station broadcasts Portugal’s Eurovision entry. By 3 p.m. the next day, the government surrenders and a fifty-year fascist regime is overthrown. Hardly a shot has been fired. Carnations decorate the barrels of the revolutionary soldiers’ guns. Portugal is free. Operation Historic Turn winds through the streets of Lisbon as the revolution unfolds – and reveals the myriad acts of ordinary and extraordinary resistance that made 25 April possible. It’s a story of daring escapes from five-storey prisons, soldiers disobeying their generals’ orders and simple acts of courage by thousands of citizens. Alex Fernandes also guides us through the curious and contested afterlife of the revolution – and the fates of its heroes in modern Portugal.

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9780861547548

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Reviews

'I feel like I’ve been waiting three decades for precisely this book... In clear language, with a brilliantly detailed narrative, Alex Fernandes leaves us in no doubt why we should celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Carnation Revolution and never forget why it came about.' Lara Pawson, author of This Is the Place To Be   'A gripping account of an episode in European history that should be better known. Alex Fernandes narrates in vivid detail how junior officers disillusioned by Portugal's colonial wars launched a daring coup to bring down a dictator, winning popular support in the face of the regime's brutal repression.' Catherine Fletcher, author of The Beauty and the Terror

'I feel like I’ve been waiting three decades for precisely this book... In clear language, with a brilliantly detailed narrative, Alex Fernandes leaves us in no doubt why we should celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Carnation Revolution and never forget why it came about.'   -- Lara Pawson, author of This Is the Place To Be

'I feel like I’ve been waiting three decades for precisely this book... In clear language, with a brilliantly detailed narrative, Alex Fernandes leaves us in no doubt why we should celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Carnation Revolution and never forget why it came about.' Lara Pawson, author of This Is the Place to Be 'A brilliantly detailed and evocative account of a revolution unlike any other: the Portuguese Revolution of 1974... A book that needs to be read.'  Helder Macedo, Emeritus Professor of Portuguese, King's College London 'Alex Fernandes displays an encyclopaedic knowledge of modern Portuguese political history in this admirably detailed exploration of the revolution that ushered in democracy in 1974. A thrilling and inspiring page-turner.' Richard Zimler, author of international bestseller The Last Kabbalist of Lisbon 'A gripping account of an episode in European history that should be better known. Alex Fernandes narrates in vivid detail how junior officers disillusioned by Portugal's colonial wars launched a daring coup to bring down a dictator, winning popular support in the face of the regime's brutal repression.' Catherine Fletcher, author of The Beauty and the Terror 'This is a real page-turner of a history book, a truly riveting account of the build-up to Portugal's near-bloodless 1974 Carnation Revolution, the revolution itself, and its messy aftermath, bringing all the participants vividly to life.'  Margaret Jull Costa 'In this in-depth and passionate book about the 1974 revolution that changed Portugal's destiny, Fernandes introduces us to the places where the historic events took place, and provides vivid portraits of the protagonists.' Nick Caistor, translator of The Lizard  by Jose Saramago 'Alex Fernandes has given the Carnation Revolution what it deserves: an animating account that gives life to its course… Whether when he is writing of cafes in Lisbon where the revolutionaries gathered or the battlefields of Angola and Mozambique, where they were first radicalised, Fernandes's prose is compelling with an eye for the details that make history come alive… A book that takes you to Portugal – and makes you not want to leave.' Arash Azizi, author of What Iranians Want

'I feel like I’ve been waiting three decades for precisely this book... In clear language, with a brilliantly detailed narrative, Alex Fernandes leaves us in no doubt why we should celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Carnation Revolution and never forget why it came about.' Lara Pawson, author of This Is the Place to Be   'A brilliantly detailed and evocative account of a revolution unlike any other: the Portuguese Revolution of 1974... A book that needs to be read.'  Helder Macedo, Emeritus Professor of Portuguese, King's College London 'Alex Fernandes displays an encyclopaedic knowledge of modern Portuguese political history in this admirably detailed exploration of the revolution that ushered in democracy in 1974. A thrilling and inspiring page-turner.' Richard Zimler, author of international bestseller The Last Kabbalist of Lisbon 'A gripping account of an episode in European history that should be better known. Alex Fernandes narrates in vivid detail how junior officers disillusioned by Portugal's colonial wars launched a daring coup to bring down a dictator, winning popular support in the face of the regime's brutal repression.' Catherine Fletcher, author of The Beauty and the Terror 'This is a real page-turner of a history book, a truly riveting account of the build-up to Portugal's near-bloodless 1974 Carnation Revolution, the revolution itself, and its messy aftermath, bringing all the participants vividly to life.'  Margaret Jull Costa 'In this in-depth and passionate book about the 1974 revolution that changed Portugal's destiny, Fernandes introduces us to the places where the historic events took place, and provides vivid portraits of the protagonists.' Nick Caistor, translator of The Lizard  by Jose Saramago 'Alex Fernandes has given the Carnation Revolution what it deserves: an animating account that gives life to its course… Whether when he is writing of cafes in Lisbon where the revolutionaries gathered or the battlefields of Angola and Mozambique, where they were first radicalised, Fernandes's prose is compelling with an eye for the details that make history come alive… A book that takes you to Portugal – and makes you not want to leave.' Arash Azizi, author of What Iranians Want

'Reading this most impressive work of history makes it hard to believe that Alex Fernandes is also a brilliant lighting designer and theatre geek. In remarkably clear language, digging deep into the detail, he does us a huge favour in telling the tale of one of the most significant events in recent western European history. The Carnation Revolution marked the end of half a century of Portugal's fascist dictatorship, both at home and across its colonised territories. Yet this momentous achievement is barely written about in the English language. Marking the fiftieth anniversary of the revolution, Fernandes invites us to inform ourselves so that we, like the author himself, may never forget one of history's greatest mistakes: the brutal reality of fascism.' -- Lara Pawson, author of This Is the Place To Be

Author Information

Alex Fernandes has been researching the Portuguese Revolution for five years. In 2021, he led a walking tour through Lisbon across the key sites of the revolution, giving him the inspiration for this book. He lives in London and works as a lighting designer and production manager in contemporary performance.

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